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The family of a nine-year-old who died in a rock fall in North Yorkshire have described her as "the light of our lives".

Harriet Forster was visiting the idyllic seaside village of Staithes, some 20 miles south of Middlesbrough, having travelled with her family from Oxford.

On Wednesday afternoon, she is understood to have been playing on the beach when rocks started to fall from above near the south pier at Seaton Garth on the coast.

She suffered serious head injuries and despite the efforts of the emergency services, she died at the scene. Police are now compiling a report for the coroner.

In a statement issued by North Yorkshire Police, Harriet's family said: "We cannot comprehend the enormity of this tragedy. Harriet was the light of our lives.

"We ask that you give us time as a family to support each other through our indescribable pain. Thank you."

The girl was believed to have been playing on the beach when rocks started to fallCredit:
TEBL

The accident has left the popular traditional fishing village in shock.

Harriet is thought to have been in an area popular with rock-poolers and fossil hunters just beyond the small town beach and the eastern harbour wall.

Locals have said the cliffs are notoriously unstable with small pieces of rock often falling down the 150ft face.

The accident happened around 100 metres (328ft) beyond a prominent red sign, screwed to the rock face, which warns of the dangers of the cliffs.

A sign on the beach at Seaton Garth in Staithes, North Yorkshire where a nine-year-old girl died in a rock fall Wednesday afternoonCredit:
Owen Humphreys/PA

But people who live in Staithes said visitors are often not aware of the constantly crumbling nature of the shale rock, saying youngsters often hack at it with hammers, looking for fossils.

Some local residents believe the recent weather had made the cliffs more unstable, especially with a long dry spell followed by heavy rain.

One woman described how she challenged a family picnicking right under the warning sign.

People in Staithes on Wednesday afternoon described how the beach and surrounding areas were "teeming" with people who scattered, leaving their belongings behind, as an air ambulance approached the harbour and landed on the beach.

A general view of Staithes in North YorkshireCredit:
Owen Humphreys/PA

They also explained how the narrow cobbled streets of the village quickly became clogged with a large number of fire engines and other emergency vehicles.

St Peter's Church, in the centre of the village, was opened on Thursday for people who wanted to contemplate what happened.

Inside was a candle, a books of poems and a tribute which read: "Please remember in your prayers the young girl who died on Wednesday in a tragic accident.

"Remember also all her family and all affected by this incident."

A prayer and floral tribute at the Mission Church of St Peter the Fisherman in Staithes, North YorkshireCredit:
Owen Humphreys/PA

North Yorkshire Police were contacted at 4.47pm to reports of an incident at the seaside town. Fire and Rescue Service, Ambulance, Air Ambulance and Coastguard were also scrambled to the scene.

The RNLI said in a statement on Wednesday: "The RNLI can confirm that volunteer crew members of Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station responded to a rock fall at Seaton Garth in Staithes this afternoon.

"The RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew attended to a child who sadly died at the scene.

"The RNLI, and in particular the volunteers of Staithes and Runswick Lifeboat Station, would like to share their deepest condolences with the child's family."